Spirited Away

Spirited Away #1

by Maggie Plummer

In May 1653, young Frederica (Freddy) O'Brennan and her sister Aileen trust a stranger on an empty beach in western Ireland, they inadvertently place themselves in the crosshairs of Cromwell's notorious Reign of Terror. Freddy awakens in the crammed hold of a slave ship bound for Barbados. She and Aileen endure the gruesome voyage only to be wrenched apart when purchased at auction by sugar plantation owners from different islands.

Freddy is left alone to face the brutal realities of life as a female Irish slave on a seventeenth century Barbados plantation. As she struggles to survive the ordeal, Freddy's harrowing experiences paint an intimate, compelling portrait of 1650s Irish and African slavery in the Caribbean.

Publishers Weekly says: "In this highly researched novel, Freddy O'Brennan is living a modest and happy life in 1653 Ireland until English soldiers force her father to fight for the Crown in Spain. Freddy is a survivor, quick to adapt to dire situations, which makes her an easy hero to root for. Freddy's on point characterization is the saving grace of the opening, as the conflict arrives on the second page before there is time to establish a connection between reader and story. By May of 1653, Freddy thinks she is safe, until English soldiers kidnap and sell her into slavery. Freddy's ordeal interweaves with that of African slaves, and in an honest portrayal, she must battle her own prejudices against her fellow slaves. The novel falls into the cliché of describing black characters as having 'chocolate' and 'toffee' toned skin, an easily fixable oversight. Short chapters full of hope and Freddy's fierce spirit will keep readers turning the pages."

• Quarter-Finalist, 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest (General Fiction)
• 2nd Place, Best Historical Fiction of 2013, The Paranormal Romance Guild (PRG)
• 2013 Finalist, Best Indie Book Awards

177 Amazon customer reviews, averaging 4.2 stars

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Ireland, Irish Literature, Fiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 23, 2012

About the author

Maggie Plummer is a multi-genre author whose latest novel, EAGLE IN FLIGHT, is Book 3 of her semi-autobiographical Jessie Morgan Series. Like Jessie, she
ventured into the wild North Country in the mid-70s, enduring monster mosquitoes and mind-boggling skiff trips on the seething Stikine River near Telegraph Creek, British Columbia.

These days the author works from her Montana home near the shores of Flathead Lake, where she loves hanging out with her sweet black lab, Peaches. EAGLE IN FLIGHT is Maggie's fifth published novel.

BELL-BOTTOM GYPSY: A Jessie Morgan Novel introduced readers to this series in 2019, taking them on an adventurous 1970s coming of age journey along America's back roads.

WEBS IN THE MIST: The Jessie Morgan Series, Book 2 follows Jessie as she arrives in 1970s San Francisco. There, she happily spreads her wings and leaves her troubled past behind. Or does she?

Maggie's first novel, SPIRITED AWAY - A Novel of the Stolen Irish, paints an intimate portrait of 1650s Irish slavery in the Caribbean. The book was: a 2014 Quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest (General Fiction); a 2013 finalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Book Awards; and placed 2nd in the Paranormal Romance Guild's Best Historical Fiction of 2013. It has 272 reviews on Amazon.

Her second novel, DARING PASSAGE: Book Two of the Spirited Away Saga, tells the rest of Irish slave Freddy O'Brennan's compelling story. Readers call it "a stunning sequel."

Maggie is also the author of the non-fiction PASSING IT ON: Voices from the Flathead Indian Reservation, published in 2008 by Salish Kootenai College Press (Pablo, Montana).

She is already working on her next novel, which will be Book 4 of the four-book Jessie Morgan Series.

Happy reading!

Reviews

[Inge Borg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freddy O’Brennan is a high-spirited fourteen-year-old. Her family might be poor, but when she rides her horse under the brilliant Irish sky, she is rich—and she is free. But sorrow quickly darkens the sky of her destiny. Her father is taken away by soldiers; then she, her mother and sisters are chased from their humble little house. Terror descends on Freddy and her younger sister when they are kidnapped onto a slaver. They survive the cruel journey to Barbados; freedom and happiness become distant memories.

Freddy’s inner journey from innocent girl to young mother before she has emotionally matured into a woman is heartbreaking, yet there is always strength and hope infused into the beautiful writing. Her blossoming love for an African slave is treated with much tenderness.

In this little-known seventeenth-century slave-trade account from Ireland to the Caribbean islands, the reader goes on a journey that changes from delight to sorrow, from terror to injustice—but, always, there is the hope for Freddy to survive the tragedy of human trafficking.

Spirited Away deals with a wrenching subject although its treatment is somewhat one-dimensional. It will likely appeal to most of today’s readers. The more serious Historical Fiction reader will want more from Maggie Plummer’s lyrical style. Just as with Freddy, there is hope for future novels—because there is wonderful talent.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dramatized historical romance chronicles the bitter trials that the Irish endured during Oliver Cromwell’s reign of terror. While this novel is based on truth, there is a strong romantic element running through it.

Read full review in the 2014 August issue of InD’tale Magazine.

[mountainmama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freddie and her younger sister were kidnapped and sold into slavery in Barbados during Cromwell’s Reign of Terror in the mid-1600s. Separated at the auction block, this story follows Freddie’s experiences as a house slave to an evil plantation owner. Branded, beaten, raped, and exposed to every sort of brutality and degradation possible, she still manages to cope with her situation and keep hope alive.

I’m not much of a fan of romance novels, and there was a strong element of that in this novel, but it served to define her indomitable spirit, and introduced other elements into the story.

Most of us have been blissfully unaware of a lot of atrocities perpetrated against different races in the past, and I applaud Ms Plummer’s attempt to bring a forgotten era to light. A compelling tale – well-written and superbly edited – it will teach you some history while entertaining you with its raw and gritty details.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little known fact in the long history of Ireland-- during the reign of Oliver Cromwell (c. 1650) many Irish were kidnapped and sold into slavery. This is the story of brave, stubborn, strong Fredericka ("Freddy") O'Brennan who as a young teenager was driven by Cromwell's soldiers from her home in Co. Kilkenny (my ancestral home) with her mother and sisters to live with family in Galway. She and a sister were kidnapped and taken to the Caribbean as slaves. This is an inspirational story of loss, love, and survival.

[Charissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delves into the history of how the Irish were rounded up by Oliver Cromwell’s men in the 1600s and made slaves. This story takes a 13-year-old girl—Freddy (Frederika) and her sister who are stolen and taken to Barbados and sold as slaves to sugar plantations. This story takes place over 3-1/2 years in the life of Freddy. The atrocities committed were terrible, but I liked reading a snatch of history that I didn’t know about.

[Jordan Hillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I never knew this story of the Irish history. This story was very good and very disturbing at the same time. It's a very informative read of the 1640's treatment of Irish people without getting completely bogged down in historical details. Obviously it's fiction, but based on true events.

[Genna Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent pick for black history month, with a twist. This story about the Irish slave trade tells an often untold side of the slaving tale and it's impact on so many generations of communities. Some of the more minor characters seemed a bit flat in development, but all in all it was a well paced interesting read.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, I had no idea of this aspect of Irish history. It is told through the eyes of a fourteen year old girl as she goes from a life with her family through the time she is taken away into slavery and what she experiences. As an individual interested in Irish history, this was a good read!

[Mary Mullane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad was 3rd generation Irish-American. He and my Gram had a visceral dislike, bordering on hatred, of the English. I knew some of their reasons...but didn't know about the slavery in the Caribbean. No human being should ever be subjected to such vile treatment. I liked that the author didn't make the story syrupy sweet or formulaic.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deals with a part of history that was completely unknown to me. I love to learn about the past. Not only did I learn something, but I really enjoyed it. The book was very interesting and the characters were well developed.

[Allen Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating aspect of history - British sending Irish off to Caribbean as slaves. Well written with believable characters (good and evil) in a setting kept "hidden" for centuries.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was intense and sorrowful, but hard to put down.... historical value and captivating story.

[Amy Stearman · Rating 4 out of 5]

haunting.

Gripping tale of a terrible piece of history... Well written and fast paced. I'll be picking up Plummer's next book as well.

[John M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story... gripping and exciting. One quibble -- The use of italics to differentiate between pirate and slave chapters is annoying. Reading complete chapters set in italics is a bit much to ask of a reader.

[P.L. Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Spirited Away - A Novel of the Stolen Irish" by Maggie Plummer left me in awe.

This is a story that has been left untold for too long, that I, and I'm sure many others, were completely unaware of. Despite the fact that I prided myself as somewhat of a student of history - including the history of my mother's native Barbados - when I first heard about this book, I wondered if it was actually based on fact. I wasn't sure initially whether this novel was purely fiction, yet I was quickly proven wrong. I was so intrigued by the notion of Irish slaves in Barbados that I was compelled to do some additional research of my own.

I was astonished by what I learned. When I spoke to my mother - who resides in Barbados - about the premise of "Spirited Away", she was equally stunned. Neither she nor I, nor any other Bajan friends or family members we asked, had ever heard of the Irish playing such a significant role in the history of Barbados.

Slavery, in any form, of course is an abomination. Too often we forget that enslavement of persons - which unfortunately still exists today - was extremely commonplace in the times that Plummer writes about. Moreover, there can exist a tendency to think of enslavement during European colonial periods from the 16th century onward to be almost exclusively the enslavement of Black people. We can forget that so many different cultures and races endured the horrors of slavery. In the case of "Spirited Away", we find out that Catholic Irish Citizens were also kidnapped and whisked off to servitude in the Caribbean, as part of famous Parliamentarian Ruler Oliver Cromwell's attempted purge of Catholicism from Ireland. Cromwell, during his "Reign of Terror", effectively expunged as much as (according to estimates) 50, 000 Irish from their homes, and sold them into indentured labour.

As for Maggie Plummer's story, all I can say is that I wish there was more of it. I know the second book that Plummer will publish in this saga continues the tale of the Irish slave Freddy O'Brennan, and I am very much looking forward to reading it as well. There was so much to tell in this story that I wished "Spirited Away" had gone on longer.

The story is well written, and it is evident by the descriptions of the smells, the sights, and the temperature that the author did her research about the island thoroughly.

The protagonist Freddy's voyage, the abuse she suffered, her determination and stubborn spirit, and the relationships she has with those around her make her a very compelling main character.

Thank you again Maggie for opening my eyes to this important aspect of the island's history, and allowing my imagination to return to a place I love dearly: my second home, Barbados, albeit a very grim part of the nation's colonial past.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

received free from goodreads first reads. I was reading about Irish history and stumbled across this information: During Oliver Cromwell's Reign of Terror in the 1650s, a majority of Ireland's Catholic population was either slaughtered, exiled to the west, or sold into slavery in the Caribbean. How could it be that I'd never heard of that? The more I read about Cromwell's Reign of Terror the hotter my blood boiled. I wanted to read about this obscure yet pivotal period of Irish history. all of the characters in the novel are fictional. The story, is based on historical accounts of events that took place.
In 1649 Cromwell led an invasion of Ireland that many historians call genocide, or ethnic cleansing. During the 1650s, Ireland lost about 41 percent of its population. The infamous Irish Famine of 1845 to 1852, by comparison, resulted in a loss of 16 percent of the population.
Cromwell hated Catholicism and wanted to punish Irish Catholics for the rebellion of 1641. Catholicism was banned. Priests were wanted men. Irish Catholics were murdered, thrown off their land, or "spirited away" to the Caribbean. An estimated 100,000 Irish people, mostly women and children, were sold to sugar plantation owners and literally worked to death. Some were flogged to death. They toiled long days and suffered horrific conditions, disease, starvation, and torture.Irish slavery was an atrocity that should not be forgotten. I find it outrageous that so few know about it. .

[Dawn Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Novel of the Evils of Slavery in the Mid-17th century.

In reading this novel, I was impressed with Ms. Plummer's thorough and accurate research into the plight of many of the Irish during England's oppressive Cromwell regime. Thank you, Maggie, for making me aware of a piece of history about which I knew very little.

The main character, Freddie (Frederica) is whisked off the beach with one of her sisters and sold into slavery in the Barbadoes at the tender age of 14. Prior to being taken, she'd witnessed her father leaving in chains for who knows where and her family's home taken leaving the mother and the children to escape in the middle of the night to stay with relatives until they could figure out another way to live. The family never knew what happened to Freddie and Aileen nor did they ever learn what had happened to the rest of their family.

This book shows graphically the evil practices bred by slavery, and practiced on Natives, Africans, and Irish. What a horrible way for a young girl to be introduced to adulthood!

Ms. Plummer has done a skillful job of weaving the story of Freddie, her children and a couple of friends into a novel one can't put down. Her characters appear real, as do the situations in which they find themselves. A good story line within a historical framework make this book an excellent read.

Dawn Edwards, the Kindle Book Review

The KBR received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. We are not connected with the author, publisher, or Amazon in any way.

[Lisa Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a woman of Irish descent on one side this story was automatically of interest to me. I had learned of indenture servitude of the Irish way back when I was a school girl in NH. With the fact that my home town had a lot of Scots/Irish living there then it was taught to us unlike now. What wasn't taught was just how awful it was. Taking children away from their parents, their homes and their country and cramming them into a boat to be sold as slaves across the world has always been a dark part of the human history but in North America most don't know or just forget that it was not just those from Africa that were sold into this. While a black slave was property, the Irish children were treated as less than such.

This is a novelization so they could take a bit of liberty with the story it is true but the sad part is that this is probably less horrible than what really happened. This well written story pulls you in and makes you root for this young Irish girl. You feel her pain, her loneliness and her sadness as the harsh life of a white slave is shown in all its lurid detail. Her acceptance of her children and her friendship with the Native woman is well written and very strong. This writer has a lot of talent and she has obviously done a lot of research. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn a little while enjoying a strong story set in a dark time in history.

[Mirella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until I read this novel, I was unaware of the plight of the Irish during Cromwell 19s period of influence in England. From the introduction, author Maggie Plummer opens her heart and explains the importance and significance of the suffering experienced by the Irish during the mid 17th century. To understand that any were placed into slavery came as a shock to me. And because of this, the novel is an important read for all those who love history. What better way to learn of the Irish 19s plight than through a fabulously researched, well-told fictional novel.

The story is told through the point of view of the main character, Frederica who is stolen off an Irish beach with her younger sister, placed into the hold of a ship, and taken to Barbados to be sold into slavery. Through her eyes, readers experience the cruelty, barbaric punishments, and grueling work the Irish faced as slaves. But the novel is not all doom and gloom. Rather, there are powerful lessons woven into the tale and profound romances that go well beyond the chains of prejudice. This is a book that brings to life the very real issues of prejudices, greed, and social status against Africans, the Irish, and Aboriginals. I was hard-pressed to put the book down and read the book in one day. Highly recommended.

[Cindy Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting story set in the era of Oliver Cromwell's Reign of Terror, 13 year-old Fredricka is kidnapped, along with her younger sister, and separated and sold onto Barbados plantation as slaves.
The fact that this horrendous set of circumstances was a common occurrence at the time makes me ill. This author does a magnificent job of creating a story depicting the life of Fredericka as she endures slavery at the hands of her English master. Rape, torture, starvation, fear and death are described in detail. Treated as mere property, forced to breed like a common animal, young Fredericka experiences love firsthand. Her hopeless circumstances make you wonder at the human spirit and ability to endure along with her slave family and friends of African, Creole and Native Indian descents.
I find myself deeply saddened and angry whilst definitely recommending this very well written book to readers. Good job! High praise to this author!

[Gifford MacShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story of Irish slavery in the New World is something I think everyone should make themselves familiar with.

This book is very good. There were beautiful details about the island of Barbados and stunningly realistic (though not graphic) details about the punishment of the slaves at their masters' whim. Its only shortcoming for me was a feeling of emotional distance from some of the characters, whose personalities I think could have been a bit more fleshed out. And I wasn't quite sure how the slaves planned to find freedom in Virginia, when the same history of Irish slavery applies to the American Colonies before the Revolutionary War.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, Ireland, or slavery.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you know me, you know I love historical fiction. This book is about a different aspect of the human slavery issue in history: The Irish who were captured and taken to the Caribbean and sold into slavery in the mid 1600s. This apparently was a huge danger for the Irish during Cromwell's Reign of Terror and persecution of Catholics. "Spirited Away" follows two sisters who were grabbed from the Irish beach and taken to Barbados. They were separated and forced to serve on plantations. I enjoyed the book - not the subject matter, of course, but I can say it opened my eyes to this aspect of history.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite interesting and informative - a part of history I'd no idea happened. Characters well-formed and believable, yet not drawn to their full capacity considering the conditions under which they managed to survive. The setting and period -- 1600's Barbados and other islands in the Caribbean -- were well described. The "bad-guys," if you will, were almost cliches we'd read about and seen in every depiction of slavery situations. Sections needed "filling in," to avoid the "what happened to?" that I was left with at the end. All said, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

[Barbara Ebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novel, we follow the life of a young Irish teenager after she is kidnapped by the English in the mid 1650s and sold into slavery. She ends up on the island of Barbados, tasked as many others were, to work on a sugar cane plantation. Despite such a tropical paradise, life is miserable and at the mercy of a ruthless plantation owner. After taking the historical fact that the Irish were discriminated against and bound into such atrocities, Maggie Plummer weaves a good fictional story. A good read any time.

[Lee Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend "Spirited Away" by Maggie Plummer. I never realized how many young Irish were ripped away from their families in Ireland, packed into slave ships and sold to work the cane fields of Barbados. You will cry and cheer for a young woman named Freddy, as she makes the best of a horrifying experience. An excellent indie book...

[Mike Monahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrible tale.

This is an awful story of the brutal treatment endured by the slaves of the plantation owners in the Caribbean Islands. It is only recently that I have learned that many of the slaves were my people, Irish Catholics. I grieve for them. I shudder to think that this sort of cruel treatment continues even to our own times. God save us from ourselves!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I read it pretty quickly. I wanted the story to continue...

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of history I was unaware of. An easy read, but very superficial. Still, likeable characters - worth reading.

[Herman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having just finished reading Trinity by Leon Uris this suffers in the comparison. A tough act to follow for sure but a number of issues with this book caused me to give it just two stars, although I will say this for the Author good effort, I have been on the look out for a story about the Irish in Barbados for some time and there really isn't much out there which one would think more would be written about this part so I give Ms. Plummer credit for giving us a story that sounds plausible and I would have rated it higher if these problems didn't nag at me as I read them.
First off the Book begins with Cromwell troops overrunning the farm taking away the father and forcing the women and children to take to the road. Like a Frankenstein monster making a dramatic appearance destroying the village then leaving the scene to never be seen again,....Say what? Context was ignored it was just too abrupt for me I wanted to know something more about what was happening someone like Leon Uris would have given a full bio makeup of the mother and her children and her husband who she will never see again, How for example did these simple farmers learn to read? How did they come across this bible which must have been expensive (You know how much books costs back just a hundred and fifty years or so after the invention of the printing press) How did the girls learn to read? Birdie she speaks Monacan, and I don't pretend to be an expert in North eastern tribal languages it's not my part of the country, but the few words that are spelled out for us like "Wash-teh" That's northern plains that's Lakota related to Siouan language group but for the most part the people of that region spoke Algonquian and the eastern Siouan spoke Catawban and lived in north Carolina. I also would have loved to know more about Birdie the native american slave who was sent to live in Barbados, those were the stories I wanted to hear but didn't because this story centered around Freddy being first raped by the Master (again no back story) and then forced to live with an African and have a child from him, all interesting points but so much was missing from that it left me more disappointed than anything else. The people were too simply drawn like two dimensional Kofi for example was just there and then he wasn't whipped to death the end. Ahhh hello couldn't you have told us something more about him why did he love Freddy? What about him made Freddy love him why was he special? What did he do during the uprising? How was he captured? I can only guess that a narrow 1st person narrative voice of the story prevented a more omi-descriptional explaination of events but Ah you lose a star for that as a story teller you need to figure out a way to tell the story. You left out too much and what was left in was movement and action and intrigue but not anything that gave you a real feeling of who these people were and how did they feel about all that was happening in there lives. Can't really recommend this book it reads to me as a good first draft.

[Jeannie Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me to enjoy reading a book with a setting in the 1650s, it would have to be pretty special. Spirited Away WAS special and I am so happy to know there is a sequel (Safe Passage.)
You know, it is so ingrained in our minds that Africans were the enslaved ones, I kept forgetting that Freddy was white until I was reminded of her pale skin.
Freddy, an Irish girl, was ‘spirited away’ from Ireland, along with her sister and sent to be a slave of a terrible Master Englishman on a Barbados sugar cane plantation. She and her sister were sold to different plantations.
Obviously, depressing in parts, but surprisingly full of joy and hope in places as well. Freddy’s strong will and faith kept her alive and she was able to find love and friendship with people that surpassed the language barrier she was presented with.
Freddy teaches the reader to stare adversity in the face with your chin up, that it’s OK to be afraid and angry, but don’t necessarily show it, be kind to those who show kindness to you, and it’s OK to fall in love with someone different than yourself.